Emeralds, Sapphires and Amethysts
by The Dark Heroine
Summary: A fragile equilibrium. A delicate balance. One extreme or the other. Fire Or Ice. What is the secret of Kyrana's dark past? And whose side will she choose upon the return of the shadows? Yami Yugi/OC/Seto Kaiba
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh as it is solely the property of Kazuki Takahashi. I recieve, and have no wish to recieve profit from the writing of this story as it is simply due to pleasure and an overactive imagination that I write.**

**Setting: After the Battle City Finals. Before Waking The Dragons arc.**

**Title: Emeralds, Sapphires, and Amethysts  
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**Chapter 1**

**Hidden In Shadows**

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The young woman shivered as a light breeze brushed her bare shoulders, sending the dry autumn leaves at her feet flitting and fleeing from some unforeseen foe. Clenching her pale hand tighter around the large black case, the girl shuddered again before forcing herself to step forwards, crunching the crispy, fragile remains of foliage beneath her small feet.

The wind hurled again, tossing itself against the woman's slim body as if repelling the unwanted stranger away from the city; tearing keenly at her clothes in an attempt to prevent her from progressing further along the empty street, throwing leaves and litter defensively at her strong form. Clutching the suitcase closer to her body, the girl threw her long ponytail of pale gold hair over one shoulder and defiantly lifted her chin, bearing her neck to the ferocious element. The wind clapped cold, crushing hands around her throat, its efforts useless against the woman's fearless stance. Finally, she opened her closed lids, emerald green eyes challenging the incessant element as it continued to attack the exposed pale skin and loose strands of long, fair gold hair.

A shout caused the battle to end and the young woman spun around defensively, eyes flashing in preparation for an ambush as her wary gaze flew over the narrow alley. In moments, it fixed upon a slight young man whose albino-white mane appeared not to have been combed in weeks as it flowed with a casual elegance over his slim shoulders. The girl glanced up to meet sparkling, earnest and excited brown eyes and within moments the young man hurtled down the street and wrestled the woman into an embrace.

"Kyrana!" He shouted joyfully, wrapping a pair of slender, gentle arms around her midriff, "you made it!" Placing a soft kiss on the girl's cheek, the boy drew away and rested a casual hand on her shoulders, gazing deep into her eyes with an avid concern.

"Yes Ryou. It's nice to see you too." She replied quietly, inclining her head slightly and carefully avoiding eye contact with the taller boy. She could sense his concern, yet was unable to meet his perceptive glance. As long as she had known him, Bakura had been incredibly observant and sensitive – so unlike the rest of his family. He had always been her favourite cousin, ever since childhood…

"I'm so glad you could. I was worried if you would be able to make it." The albino boy paused pensively, then gently pulled his cousin closer. Kyrana glanced up momentarily and immediately sank into Bakura's concerned, deep brown eyes. Even though he did not voice the question, she could clearly see it written upon his face. _What happened?_ She could not answer, and upon feeling a weight lift from her hand, glanced down to find her suitcase in Bakura's slim arms. Looking up at her, he grinned easily.

"Blimey Kyrana! What did you put in here? The kitchen sink?"

His soft, carefree tone and often used joke forced a strained smile onto the girl's serious pale face, and lifting her hand which still ached from the immense weight of the suitcase, she quickly tucked an escaped bang of pale hair behind her ear. "No Ryo, there would be no point as you would never get it fitted."

Bakura laughed lightly and with his free hand, awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, further tousling his long white hair as a light blush crawled across his soft features. "That's probably true…" He trailed off and the smile across his lips grew wider at an amusing memory. Zoning out for a few moments, he quickly pulled him back to reality and his grim, silent cousin standing beside him with her arms crossed and face drawn. "Hey, so do you want to see where you'll be staying?"

Nodding, Kyrana moved her gaze back to the ground and let her eyes briefly flick to the end of the alley before returning to the leaf carpeted floor. "That would be nice." She replied finally, wrapping her arms around her waist protectively before following her grinning cousin as he proceeded to the end of the alley into a small housing estate. Kyrana vaguely registered her surroundings, noting her location for future reference. The houses were perhaps a little shabby, but not unpleasantly so. Most had numbers fixed to their doors and very few had cars parked outside. A small concrete square in the centre held a fading inscription on a stone tablet. Her eyes passing unseeingly over these features, Kyrana continued to follow Bakura until they reached a small apartment several hundred metres from the alleyway in which they had met.

Reaching in his pocket, Bakura fumbled for a few moments, a small frown creasing his unaccustomed features as he failed to find the key. Flushing again and subconsciously running a hand through his long white locks, he turned to make a confession to his cousin. Yet Kyrana had already moved to his side, and trying the handle of the door, allowed a small smirk to form on her lips as the door swung inwards. Bakura's eyes widened. He had left the key in the lock? Shocked at his own carelessness, he quickly realised that his hesitation might make his cousin suspicious and led the way into the apartment.

"I don't know if your parents told you, but you're going to be staying with me… at least until they finish tying up everything back in England." He smiled at Kyrana and carefully set her suitcase down on the floor before brushing his unruly hair back from his face. "But that shouldn't be long – I mean they said it would only take two months at the most!"

Kyrana glanced up for a moment. Obviously Bakura had yet to learn of the reason for her parent's sudden move to Japan. They were keeping her where she would be safe, for the moment anyway… realising that Bakura was looking at her with worry in his eyes, the young woman forced a smile. "Good. Well I'm glad to be staying with you… but," she paused taking a deep breath of cooling air, "please, no late night partying and no lap-dancing girls."

Unsure whether she was serious or not, Bakura blushed a violent shade of red, before protesting: "Honestly Kyrana, I wasn't planning to!"

It was hard to resist breaking into a smile at his outburst, yet the exhaustion of the long flight over and the emotional impact of recent events in addition to moving to a foreign country took its toll. Raising a hand to her head, Bakura's confused expression of concern was the last thing Kyrana saw before falling into unconsciousness.

Bakura dashed forward immediately upon noticing his cousin pale undetectably before swaying with fatigue. Catching her slender figure in his arms, the young albino quickly dragged her and draped her carefully onto the sofa. At this close of a range, it was obvious why she had collapsed. Bakura cursed himself silently for not noticing before.

Kyrana had deep, dark patches beneath her eyes, shading her light skin an unpleasant tinge of purple; her long hair was hastily tied back into a ponytail yet was lank and withering. Glancing down, Bakura gently lifted one of the girl's trailing arms from the floor and carefully laid it upon her chest. In doing so, the dark material of the long black sleeve covering her arm slipped up to reveal an assortment of dirt-stained bandages spreading the width of her arm. The boy's heart skipped a beat. What wasn't she telling him? Concerned, Bakura checked Kyrana's other arm to find the same; her entire forearms were bandaged to the elbow. He knew if his cousin were awake, she would never appreciate his next action, yet Bakura found himself unable to refrain from unwrapping the peeling linen to reveal the flesh beneath.

He gasped out in horror. Resisting the temptation to cover his eyes, Bakura repeated the action on the opposing arm to find the same. Both were scarred with deep white lines, some of which seemed still fresh and red. They striped her forearms like a tiger's back, marring her pale skin with ugly welds. Cringing, Bakura pulled away. He knew if his cousin woke in this state: knowing he had removed her way of hiding from the world, she would never forgive him. So the young albino quickly hurried to the bathroom and found some fresh bandages to replace the old ones. Of course, she would notice later, but he couldn't bring himself to wrap the dirty, fraying strips of linen back around her damaged arms; it wouldn't be right.

A few minutes later, Bakura finished his task, dropping the old bandages in the nearby bin and replacing the scissors and tape in their resting places, he walked back over to the living room where his cousin was sprawled carelessly over the settee. Sighing, the young man gently pulled the dark sleeves over her arms then sat himself on the opposing armchair. Resting his chin on clasped hands, he gazed worriedly at his cousin. What could have caused her to commit such a terrible act? How could someone so sane, so calm, gentle and loving do such a thing?

Biting his lip to prevent tears from falling, Bakura settled back into his chair, reaching for a nearby book in a hope to distract him from the terrible thoughts plaguing his mind. His eyes passed unseeing over the written text, and after a few moments he dropped the book, useless, upon his lap and choked back a sob. What had happened to the girl he had once known?

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**_7 Years Ago:_**

_Bakura still remembered that day. The day when he had woken from a drowsy state upon his school desk with all his classmates laughing and pointing at him. Confused, the young boy brushed his long white locks behind his ear, face aflame and pulled his gaze to the blackboard. Luckily, the unobservant teacher had failed to notice the lapse in attention of one of her students, yet Bakura glared defiantly at the board, determined that the stinging tears in the corners of his eyes wouldn't fall as the children around continued to tease and taunt. Blocking them out of his mind, he was relieved to feel the distraction of a gentle hand upon his arm and glanced up to meet a pair of emerald, sparkling eyes._

_He was glad that his cousin had chosen to sit next to him rather than one of her many friends. But at the same time he felt guilty from holding her back, yet she always assured him that it was her choice and she would prefer to sit with him anyday._

_The fact was, Bakura was an easy target, and so many people preferred to avoid the quiet, shy boy, knowing that the consequences of fraternising with him could be severe. The bullies always picked on him. Hence why his cousin was the only one to sit next to him, but even she wasn't invulnerable to the bullies' assaults._

_Thankfully, the rest of the lesson passed without incident and Bakura managed to hold back the stream of tears until they reached the school gates. Once outside, he allowed the floods of salt water to gush unstoppably from his eyes, ashamed of his weakness._

"_But you're not weak!" Kyrana had denied fiercely, wrapping a protective arm around her cousin, or as she sometimes considered him, brother's, shoulders. "They're just stupid, pathetic and of a far inferior intelligence to you. Only pity that they're so sad they have nothing better to do then pick on you!"_

_Bakura smiled reluctantly. If nothing else, Kyrana was loyal and ever determined to help people. She was always there for him. Yet that often caused her trouble…_

_The two children drew to an abrupt halt as a figure stepped out of the shadows; Mark, the school's most notorious bully had been laying an ambush for them. This hadn't happened before, he normally didn't go out of his way to hurt Bakura, but this time he wanted revenge. He hated people standing up to him, and last time the albino had been persuaded to tell the teacher about his bullying, Mark had suffered a long grounding._

"_Well, well. The two freaks." He grinned maliciously, showing an assortment of yellow, uneven, jagged teeth. "What a surprise seeing you here."_

_Kyrana stepped forward protectively to cover her trembling cousin. Solely the boy's presence was enough to induce fear in him. Feeling an anger rising within her, the young girl lifted her voice sharply and spoke out? "I was thinking the same. How did you manage to get out of the school without a map Evans?"_

_The boy growled, and before she had chance to react, he lunged forwards and caught her chin with a large, blistered fist, knocking the small blonde girl to the ground. Biting her lip, Kyrana glared up defiantly as the bully swaggered his bulk towards her cousin. She couldn't let him get away with this._

_Pulling herself to her feet, the small girl agilely dodged around the boy to stand once again between the ugly delinquent and her frail cousin. Spreading her arms protectively, she raised her burning eyes to meet his before aiming a swift kick at his ankle, toppling him to the ground. Howling furiously, the boy clutched his leg and watched helplessly as his prey sprinted away._

"_I'll get you for this, Kyrana!" Little did he know it would take another seven years for him to get that opportunity._

_A few months later, the unfortunate boy ended up in hospital with an even greater vengeance, and worse, his gang dissipated, the main part were found scattered in nearby streets, immobile and unconscious. At the time it had been a mystery, yet Bakura felt as if something was eating away inside him. Everything worsened with the dreadful announcement that he would be moving schools to another part of England; leaving his cousin and livelihood behind him. He had never understood why his parents had done such a thing, and years later, having moved schools continuously with the strange repeat of unconscious students flooding into the local hospitals, Bakura had arrived in Japan. He had missed his cousin, and had been overjoyed when he received a letter from her, asking if they could be friends again. Months later, he had answered a phone call from Kyrana's parents, requesting that she stayed with him for a few months until their finances were settled back in England, and they could join their daughter and nephew in Japan._

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Bakura abruptly jolted from his reverie as the motionless form on the couch groaned then began to stir. He watched as Kyrana instinctively cradled her newly-bandaged arms before bringing herself to a sitting position. Tucking the loose strands of pale blonde hair behind her ear, then folding her arms from habit, the young woman faced Bakura, a dull, unreadable look in her eyes.

"How long was I out?" She asked finally, meeting Bakura's sad, deep, chocolate brown orbs. Rubbing her tingling arms, she frowned slightly as her cousin's gaze momentarily wandered to her hands before snapping back to her eyes.

"N-not long." He stuttered, a guilty blush crawling across his cheeks as he met her hard gaze. She was obviously suspicious, and it was only a matter of time before she realised that he had accidentally uncovered her secret. Wringing his hands nervously, he rose to his feet, bumbled into the kitchen then emerged with a wet cloth in his hands. "You might want this." Gently, he pressed the rag to her forehead, glad to have an excuse to avert his eyes from hers, mortified that she might see his fear within them. "It's supposed to help any sort of fever you may have contracted."

Kyrana smiled slightly, her features lifting and the dark bags beneath her eyes softening from the relax in her muscles. "Do tell me how you became such an expert."

Dabbing the cloth across her forehead, Bakura closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm studying first-aid at school, and medical care. I want to be a nurse."

"A nurse? But I remember that one time I got a paper-cut and you told everyone that I was about to perish!"

Bakura flinched at the mention of cuts, and turned a yet deeper shade of crimson. Attempting to push away the unwanted thoughts that threatened to shroud his mind, the albino forced himself to grin. "Yes. Blood continues to be my one big fear. Apart from that, I'm doing quite well."

Kyrana bowed her head gracefully. "I'm glad." Bakura paled in worry as she subconsciously twisted her fingers around her forearm, idly fiddling with the bandages he had replaced not so long ago. Suddenly, she frowned and rose to her feet. Bakura gulped. "Ryou… where is the bathroom?"

The young albino raised a trembling finger and pointed towards the hallway. He had a sneaking suspicion as why she had a sudden need to go, and if he was correct, all hell was about to be let loose. He waited for her disappear. Moments later he cringed upon hearing the bathroom door slam and heard rapid footsteps approach until she towered in an extremely intimidating fashion above him.

"Ryou…" Her tone was surprisingly gentle and calm as she glanced down at the squirming young man beneath her. "Did you change the bandages?" She lifted the dark material covering her arm and rolled it to her elbow, revealing the ghastly white linen that hid the terrible scars from sight.

Bakura nodded shamefully, keeping his gaze directed at his hands and feeling a tension building in the air between them. He quickly glanced up as Kyrana sighed before sinking back onto the couch, face in hands and hands clenching large clumps of pale gold hair. "I'm sorry…" He whispered, tears forming in his eyes as he felt the pain she was experiencing.

"No. It's not your fault." Kyrana said finally, her voice muffled by the hands concealing her face. Bakura half-expected tears to dampen the material that concealed her pain, yet instead her face remained blank as she lowered her hands to meet his eyes. As his gaze met hers, he noticed that it was only her eyes that showed a small fraction of the agony she had felt. Whatever it was. "I suppose you want to know why I did it."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement, a fact. Bakura didn't need to answer, yet he nodded anyway, but Kyrana didn't see, she was too busy staring at something behind him. Something that didn't exist.

"Well I'm very sorry to say Ryou, that I can't. Not because I don't want to, but because I simply cannot remember." _Or will not._ She added silently. All she remembered was pain, and anger. Anger that she couldn't control. If she concentrated then images would flicker back to her mind, yet she didn't want to remember. Her mind had made an unconscious decision to block the event from her mind, and although she could easily ask a councillor to find out the source of the problem, she had no desire to do so.

Bakura realised that no more was to be said, so in an attempt to relieve the tension in the air, he changed the subject to less dark matters. But the fact remained, it was desperately important that he found out why his cousin had done such a thing.

"Kyrana, I thought you should know that your parents wanted me to tell you a few things before you start school next week." There was a long pause before Kyrana jerked her head up. School? She hadn't even thought about that yet! Seeing that she was now responsive, Bakura continued. "Your parents understand that you're qualified enough for work, but they want you to complete your education here and especially finish your qualification for speaking Japanese. Then, there's the matter of your uniform, I already bought one for you, so it shouldn't prove to be a problem. Finally, I was going to warn you that a few friends of mine are coming over tomorrow for a sleepover. They'll be here just until Monday, and I thought it would be good if you could have some friends before starting then."

Kyrana smiled. That was Bakura – always thinking of everyone else.

"I would have cancelled the sleepover, but the phone call about you coming was so unexpected I really didn't have time to…"

Kyrana cut him off with a shake of her head. "No Ryo. It's fine, and after all, who am I to deny you on your birthday?"

Bakura looked momentarily shocked. "How-how did you-?"

She simply pointed a finger at the birthday card which lay on the coffee table between them. "I put two and two together," She explained. "Happy birthday for tomorrow, Ryo. It's lucky I made you a card before coming. I am just too exhausted now."

Like a small child, Bakura leaned forward in his chair and grinned appealingly at Kyrana, the worries of a few minutes ago temporarily forgotten. His chocolate eyes sparkled with an adorable intensity as he looked into Kyrana's eyes. "Can I see now?" He begged sweetly.

"No, you can wait until tomorrow."

Bakura pouted.

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The next morning was a hectic rush to clear up the house. Bakura insisted that Kyrana stay in bed, but she stubbornly refused and assisted her grumbling cousin. For a small apartment, it was amazing how much refuse had collected in dusty corners and food wrappers between the cushions of the settee. Just as Kyrana laid down the mop, wiping her brow wearily, the doorbell rang. The two cousins both rushed to answer the door, and in the same instant emerged from opposite doors before colliding with one another in a tangled mess on the floor.

"Argh! I'm sorry Kyrana!" Bakura apologised, helping his cousin to her feet and brushing his striped T-shirt off before bounding towards the front door and jamming the key in the lock. The doorbell rang again, this time for longer as if an impatient child were pressing down on the button.

"Stop Joey! I think Bakura's heard by now!" A hushed female voice scolded as Bakura finally succeeded in unlocking the door and yanking it open to reveal a brightly-clothed assembly of teenagers. Three boys and one girl stood at the entrance. A tall blonde stood frozen with his hand halfway to the bell and behind him a brunet had wrapped an arm around his neck in a headlock. Beside the two tall boys, was a short spiky-haired boy, who for some explicable reason, was dressed in school uniform and wore an embarrassed expression at his friends' behaviour, lastly there was a pretty brunette who had folded her arms and was rolling her eyes, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'I need female friends.'

"_Happy Birthday Bakura!"_ The group chimed in unison as they realised that the door had been opened. The albino shyly greeted the loud assembly and began to lead them inside as Kyrana continued to watch curiously. Realising she was staring, she quickly placed the mop back in the cupboard and moved to go back to her room. She didn't mean to be rude, but she simply wasn't a people person and would much prefer to be alone than greet these strangers. Besides, she would meet them sooner or later anyhow.

Unfortunately, Bakura didn't seem to agree with her philosophy: "Kyrana! Come and greet our visitors!" He called cheerily from the entrance hall. Cringing, the young woman dragged her feet back towards the entrance and kept her head low so she wouldn't attract too much attention.

"Whoa Bakura! You didn't tell us you had a _girl _over!" So much for that idea, Kyrana thought gloomily.

Bakura blushed monumentally at the suggestion and Kyrana did nothing to help him, but rather kept her gaze directed firmly at the floor, preferring not to meet the gaze of the loud, presumptuous blonde.

"She-she-" Bakura began, but was interrupted as Joey eagerly barged past the albino to get a look at this enigmatic girl, only to be yanked back by two hands on his shoulders belonging to his brown spike-haired friend.

"Whoa! Down boy!"

At this point, the short, smiling boy intervened. "I think what Bakura's trying to tell us is that this is his cousin he was telling us about." There was an embarrassing silence and Kyrana didn't need to look up to tell that the blonde had turned a bright shade of red. "Isn't that right, Bakura?"

"Yes Yugi. Anyway, would you all like to come in and I will introduce you." Bakura finished, ushering in the two rowdy boys, then the thin brown-haired girl. He turned to make introductions, but found that Yugi had beaten him to it. The small boy grinned up at Kyrana and held out his hand.

"Hi Kyrana, I'm Yugi." He introduced, his voice high and squeaky, but at the same time kind and gentle. Kyrana glanced up to meet his eyes, and for a moment she could've sworn a shadow flickered across his lilac eyes like a cloud passing the sun on a windy day.

"Hello Yugi. You appear to already know my name, so there's not much point in introducing myself." Kyrana replied in dry humour. Yugi laughed, his purple eyes sparkling as he bowed his head, and for once the young woman noticed the eccentric cut of his hair. A tall black mane framed his face, tinged red at the tips and several bangs flipped over his eyes, coloured a bright yellow. In addition to which, a large, triangular gold pendant hung around his neck; a large eye engraved on the front of the heavy metal pyramid. _Eccentric indeed._

"Bakura told us lots about you."

Kyrana briefly glanced up at Bakura enquiringly. "Good things I hope."

Yugi smiled and was about to answer when the rude blonde strutted between him and Kyrana, breaking the conversation. "I'm Joey! Joey Wheeler!" He announced loudly, striking a pose which he desperately hoped was flattering. Bakura exchanged a grin with Yugi as their eyes flickered between the monumentally unimpressed Kyrana, and Joey who stood comically on one leg with his fists in the air, looking unfortunately similar to a demented chicken. Seconds later, he was knocked to the ground. A scowl formed on his face as he noticed his pointy-haired companion taking his place.

"Taylor. Tristan Taylor." He introduced smoothly, running a hand over his hair. Yet again, Kyrana failed to look vaguely interested and remained irresponsive, instead directing her gaze towards Bakura in a silent plea for help. Instead, she found her saviour arrive in the form of her cousin's last friend – the pretty brunette.

Clasping Kyrana's hand in hers, she scowled at both Joey and Tristan, leading the pale blonde girl away from them before letting out a relieved sigh. "Sorry, you'll get used to those two dorks. It's nice to have some female company for once!" She enthused with a big grin. "Anyway, I'm Téa and you're Kyrana, right?"

Kyrana nodded. This girl seemed nice enough, if a little over-enthusiastic. Perhaps Bakura was right. Perhaps it was a good idea to make friends before starting school tomorrow… after all, it was a rather daunting prospect. Then again…

Kyrana cringed as Joey's head popped around the door. "You guys comin'? Kyrana?" He asked with a giant grin. Téa rolled her eyes and shooed the blonde away, making sure that Bakura had received the over-eexcitable blonde before returning to the silent Kyrana.

"Hey Kyrana, are you okay?" She asked in concern, laying a worried hand on the taller girl's shoulder. Kyrana lifted her gaze to meet the brunette's bright blue eyes and nodded again.

"I'm sorry Téa, moving house is just a little daunting… moving country is well… even more so. I apologise if I seem withdrawn."

Tea laughed and lifted her hand from the pale blonde's shoulder then waved it dismissively, "Don't worry, it must be hard – especially with those two dorks harassing you!" Kyrana smiled in agreement. "They're alright really, just…boys."

Bakura suddenly appeared from behind the door, a large grin plastered to his face. "Hello Téa. I hope you're both doing well. I've just managed to get Joey and Tristan seated," He lowered his voice to a whisper and winked, "so it's safe to come in now." Giving Kyrana a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile, he gestured for her to enter the living room, and after exchanging a few words of greeting with her cousin, Téa followed. Upon shutting the door to the lounge behind her, Kyrana found herself ambushed by the short, spiky haired boy, Yugi, who gently took her hand and tugged the tall girl down to his height. His eyes darted around the room and he exchanged secretive nods with Tristan and Joey before lowering his voice to a whisper.

"Téa, Kyrana, we're going to sing happy birthday to Bakura when he's finished opening his presents. But not until then – okay?" the two girls nodded in unison and exchanged a confused glance. What were the boys planning? Seeing their worried looks, Yugi winked. "Don't worry!"

With that, the brunette and the pale blonde seated themselves carefully on the edge of the sofa. Kyrana was careful to keep her gaze directed on the floor at all times, wary of Joey's side glances and elbow-nudges at Tristan. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, she found herself self-consciously rubbing her arms before folding them defensively. She didn't like this situation at all.

Téa, aware of her new friend's awkwardness, desperately scanned the room, searching for some form of distraction that she could use to divert the boys' interest from the girl. After a few moments, she found a television remote stuffed carelessly between the cushions of the settee. Perfect.

"Hey Joey! I wonder if Daily Dance is on…" The brunette began teasingly. She watched Joey's predictable reaction as the fiery blonde's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet, snatching the control out of Téa's hand before being tackled into a head-lock by Tristan. Kyrana glanced at Téa admiringly. She seemed to know what she was doing. Yet… feeling a strange tingling on the back of her neck, Kyrana turned to meet a pair of dark violet eyes. She felt she was sinking, trapped within the two pools of unfathomable mystery, drowning in their endless depths, fighting to reach the surface…

"Kyrana? Are you feeling okay? You look pale." Téa's voice broke through her thoughts, saving her from the momentary panic constricting her chest. Glancing back at Yugi, Kyrana found him smiling pleasantly at her, his eyes once again sparkling and carefree.

"Yes thank you. I'm fine."

Everyone's face turned to the television screen as it suddenly flickered into life; Joey having won the battle for the remote. The usual boring programs flashed up; soaps, news, game shows… Kyrana yawned, feeling suddenly very tired as the television hummed hypnotically and the dull ebb of Joey and Tristan arguing became a background drone. After a long few minutes, Bakura returned, a wide grin on his face and a bag of snacks in his hands which was immediately leapt upon by Joey and Tristan with a loud war cry of 'Food!' And within moments, the potato chips were demolished and the only thing left was the packet trailing from Joey's mouth. Kyrana found herself nudged back to consciousness by Téa who was laughing at Yugi and Bakura's shared expressions of amused exasperation.

The careless laughter and playful shouts were suddenly cut short as the television screen in the middle of the room suddenly blazed a bright white. Glancing at the surrounding appliances, Kyrana worriedly registered the abrupt diminishment of light. Shuddering slightly, she rose to her feet. Bakura quickly joined his cousin and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, attempting to push her back into her seat to no avail.

"Stay calm everyone. It's only a power cut." To his alarm, the albino found himself spun around to face his pale blonde cousin; her white skin and light gold hair almost glowing in the eerie light exhibited by the flickering television set. Leaning closer, she carefully put her lips next to his ear and lowered her voice to a whisper so as not to panic the others.

"If this is a power cut, then why is the television still on?" Bakura gulped, pulling away from Kyrana and turning towards the flashing white screen. Something wasn't right. Calmly, he walked over to Joey and gently removed the control from his hand, murmuring something about a 'fire hazard' while Téa remained in her seat and Yugi glanced around nervously like a rabbit stuck in headlights.

Kyrana watched in concern as her cousin failed to turn off the television. Recognising his failure, she decided to take her own course of action and bent down in front of the set to casually press the standby button. That didn't work either. Instead, the television began to crackle, random pixels of colour flitting across the screen before disappearing. Forcing her heartbeat to stay even, Kyrana calmly straightened back up and walked over to the plug point wherein the television's cable was plugged. Reaching out a fair hand, Kyrana found herself prevented from extending it further by a strong grip closing gently around her wrist. She shivered involuntarily as a warm breath tickled her neck and a deep voice muttered in her ear: "That won't work, Kyrana." Ignoring the voice's owner, Kyrana quickly twisted her arm from the grip, and with a quick glance up to see who had predicted her failure, she found herself meeting the dark, endless violet eyes once again.

"It had better."

With that, she pulled the plug.

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_**Okay, please tell me what you think because this is a new story, and I'm not sure how good it is (I finished the end of this at 3.30 am so I'll spell-check it tomorrow when I'm actually awake.) Faz favor - review!!!**_

_**~ FreeXFallXPhoenix**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh as it is solely the property of Kazuki Takahashi. I recieve, and have no wish to recieve profit from the writing of this story as it is simply due to pleasure and an overactive imagination that I write.**

**Title: Emeralds, Sapphires, and Amethysts**

**Chapter 2**

**Virtual Vengeance I**

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**_Thank you to Draconic Mage and NightWindAlchemist who were kind enough to review. :) Much appreciated, and I will try to update sooner._**

_**I'm not so sure about this chapter, but I promise - if it's rubbish - that I will make up for it in the next.**_

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**_

Kyrana trembled as a cool breeze swept her long gold bangs from her face. An incessant drumbeat pounded her head accompanied by a loud crackling like giant twigs crunching beneath the feet of a colossal creature. Blearily, the young woman forced her eyes open; only to close them abruptly as her senses were assaulted by the dazzling light emitted from a blazing yellow fire.

She groaned slightly, rolling her horizontal body away from the orange glare before daring to open her eyes a fraction, squinting at the flickering light through heavy eyelids. The flames' intense glow seeped beneath the insubstantial veil of her eyelashes, stinging the girl's unadjusted eyes as she doggedly peered through the blinding orange haze.

Kyrana blinked, finally drawing her gaze away from the flames' mesmerising dance to fix upon a small, hunched shadow kneeling protectively beside the fire. The hulking figure poured over the small inferno, hypnotised by its beauty as it gently nudged the centre with a short gnarled stick.

As she continued to regard the strange shadow-creature through the slits of her eyes, Kyrana drew her arms towards her uneasily, sucking in a deep breath of air to calm herself as the figure leapt forward to effortlessly throw another log upon the young fire, resulting in a shower of sparks, weaving through the night air like sizzling fireflies and causing the girl to jolt away, a dry leaf crunching beneath her chest due to her sudden reflex. The dark figure immediately glanced up and a shudder ran through the blonde's body as stark realisation cleared the hazy fog clouding her sharp mind. How could she be outside with trees, a fire, and this creature of shadow, when only moments ago she had been in her cousin's apartment? What the hell was happening?

* * *

_Kyrana found herself thrown backwards as she forcefully yanked the reluctant plug from its socket. Fortunately, her impact was softened by a pair of strong hands briefly grabbing her shoulders to steady her. The young woman barely registered her saviour as she gazed at the incessant flashing screen in growing horror. The flickering black and white pigments continued to rain down like strange, digital flurries of snow._

_**Impossible… there's no electricity.**__ Kyrana bit down on her lip, her gaze wandering briefly over the other stunned and silent occupants of the room: Bakura was frozen, wide-eyed and trembling as he clasped pale white fingers over his mouth while Téa had clasped the frightened albino's arm between her hands for reassurance; Joey and Tristan had both ducked behind the sofa so that all that remained visible of them was a blond mop and a sharp spike of brown hair, beneath which sparkled two pairs of fearful dark eyes; and finally Yugi stood boldly beside Kyrana, his shadowed amethyst eyes blazing intensely while his scorching stare pierced the screen._

_Directing her gaze back towards the television's menacing glare, Kyrana's eyes widened as a dark, hazy figure suddenly darted across the fuzzy maelstrom before dissipating once again into the storm of pixels. The shade's appearance had not gone unnoticed, judging by the sharp intakes of breath on either side of her. In the next moment, everyone in the room instinctively moved back a step and Téa uttered a small 'eep' of surprise as a distorted voice crackled harshly into the apartment, destroying the previously comforting silence._

"_Is…Yu…gi…there? Yugi…are you there?"_

_Yugi's eyebrows lowered to meet in a deep frown, his eyes darkening to the colour of evening sky before dusk, while his face resumed an expression of grave concern. He knew that voice – all too well – and one thing was for sure, it meant that only trouble lay ahead. _

"_Yugi!" The voice called again. Its tone was clear and precise, yet the voice itself sounded young and unsteady. All in the room found their eyes transfixed to the television screen as a figure gradually began to form upon it; the storm of black and white specks forming flurrying tornadoes before gathering to create the torso, shoulders, then head of a person._

_Within moments, the picture solidified into a flickering image. The being's features were barely distinguishable, but Kyrana squinted and was able to discern the face of a young boy. The youth's hair was a pale green and his eyes an impenetrable blue; hiding a fierce intelligence beneath his childish exterior._

"_Noah." Yugi greeted, his voice deep and commanding, even his composure seemed somehow sterner and more serious than the Yugi of a few minutes past. The green-haired boy nodded his head in acknowledgement and allowed a small, brief smile to cross his lips._

"_It can't be…" Téa whispered softly, her blue eyes widening in shocked disbelief. Whoever this boy was, his appearance had caused a great deal of unrest within the company, Kyrana observed. It was like setting a wolf loose among a pack of jackals._

_Leaving the safety of his shelter, Joey unexpectedly made an appearance from behind the sofa, leaping to his feet and pointing incredulously at the television set. "Hey! What's dat punk doin' showin' up here?" He addressed no one in particular, his chocolate brown eyes sparkling with suspicion._

"_Yugi, Joey, Téa, Tristan…" The image of the boy named Noah met each of their gazes individually; his own pleading and desperate. "I need your help. They captured Seto and Mokuba… you were the only people I could think of who would help…please."_

_Kyrana exchanged a nonplussed glance with her cousin who appeared equally confused, before turning back to the scene before her. Who were Seto and Mokuba? And more importantly, who was this strange kid on her cousin's television screen? She sent Téa an inquisitive glance while Joey stepped forwards, his expression untrusting as he swapped a worried frown with the silent Yugi._

"_Wait just a minute… who are dese jerks you're talkin' about? An' why should we rescue rich-boy anyway?" He demanded fiercely._

_Téa failed to notice Kyrana's attempts to communicate, so the blonde girl decided to give up and instead turned her attention back to the situation at hand. The green-haired boy on the screen suddenly cocked his head, as if listening for something, then his previously passive expression turned to one of panic, his navy eyes widening in fear._

"_I haven't got time to explain," He babbled, lowering his voice to a hushed whisper, "They're coming for me now. I can upload you into the Virtual Mainframe, but I can't be sure where you'll end up. I need your agreement… please, will you help my brothers?"_

_Yugi and Joey exchanged glances, a silent message passing between them as they reached a decision before they nodded meaningfully at one another. _

"_Alright Yuge." Joey lifted his thumb up in consent as a cocky grin spread across his face. "It's all up ta you pal." Yugi sent his blond friend a swift smile in response before calmly turning back to the fearful green-haired boy on the television._

"_We agree Noah. But if this is some sort of trick then we will not hesitate to take you down." Yugi stated with a deadly seriousness, his amethyst eyes glittering mysteriously. "Joey and I will help you save Kaiba and Mokuba."_

_Noah broke into a wide smile, which faded abruptly as a haze of interception invaded the screen, temporarily blocking the green-haired boy from view and causing the unpleasant scratching of static to crackle through the television speakers. Someone was overriding Noah's communication link._

"_Activate upload program!" Noah's voice shouted over the interception. There were a few moments of silence, within which Yugi and Joey glanced at one another in concern. Suddenly, the crackling increased and the television demonstrated another black and white snowstorm as the pixels danced gleefully across the screen. "No! Let me go!"_

_Kyrana bit her lip. There was nothing anyone could do, but it sounded like the kid Noah was in trouble. His enemies had discovered him._

"_We've caught you, you little brat." The screen flickered again, briefly showing the image of two dark figures grasping the arms of a smaller one between them before flashing back to the snowy maelstrom. "It's time you learnt your lesson, kid."_

_Bakura looked wildly at his cousin, his face pale and torn with concern as strained panting reached them through the speakers and Noah's breathless voice spoke up once again: "It's too late. My friends are coming, and there's nothing you can do to stop them – ugh!" Kyrana and Bakura flinched in unison as a loud bang and a sharp gasp indicated that something heavy had just made violent contact with Noah's body._

_Before any more could be said or heard, the television screen suddenly cleared to leave nothing but a blank emptiness before a sign flashed up in large red letters, accompanied by a digital voice which announced: _

"_**Process initiated. Commence Virtual Upload."**_

_A strange tingling sensation spread through Kyrana's body as if she had just been on the receiving end of a powerful electric shock. The last thing the blonde was aware of was the brilliant white radiance of the television screen as it began to reel her in, hypnotising her with swirling snowy light until she finally submitted to her exhaustion and slumped to join her companions on the floor, unconscious._

_

* * *

  
_

The young woman instinctively shuffled away as the shadow-figure approached her. Its features were impossible to distinguish in the flickering firelight, yet it was short and its head framed by an untameable mane of midnight black hair. Finding herself backed against the leafy foliage of an ivy-strangled tree, Kyrana gulped. She was trapped.

The dark shape continued to observe the girl's behaviour, not daring to approach in case she should flee, but instead crouching beside the fire to warm its hands. A soft breeze swept through the air, revealing the rustling circle of trees around them that formed a small clearing. Another breath of wind ruffled through the shadow's mane of dark hair, finally allowing the fire's glow to expose his youthful features and serious eyes. _It's only a kid._ Kyrana breathed out in relief. All her previous worrying was for nothing. Relaxing slightly, the blonde girl carefully pulled herself to her feet and slowly approached the fire and the boy. For a brief moment, the boy glanced up, his solemn grey eyes meeting hers before lowering back upon the dancing flames.

"You finally woke up." He stated. His voice was young and childish, so different to his grave expression and confident composure. Kyrana supposed he was about 12 years old, perhaps younger.

"Yes… thanks." The blonde replied awkwardly, unsure how to react to such a statement. Had this boy been watching over her? It was all so confusing. It wasn't exactly an everyday occurrence to in one moment be in your cousin's house, and in the next arrive in a forest clearing with only a fire and a grim-faced boy for company.

"Don't thank me. I only found you here and decided to make camp."

Several awkward moments passed, within which Kyrana rubbed her arms uncomfortably and leaned closer to the comfort of the orange flames, gazing into their impenetrable depths.

"Do you live here then?" She cocked her head slightly as she asked the question, allowing her emerald green eyes to lock onto the dark-haired boy's face. In this light, his hair had a strange blue sheen, much like the subtle gloss upon the feathers of a raven.

The boy turned to face Kyrana with scornful disbelief shadowing his otherwise cute features: "Ha! Me? Live here? No way!"

Shifting uncomfortably at the boy's arrogant manner, Kyrana forced herself to ignore his attitude – there were more important things afoot, and she needed to discover why she was here. "So…er, where do you live then?"

The raven-boy sent her an incredulous expression. Didn't she know who she was talking to? Apparently not from the deep frown of confusion that marred her fair face. His expression softened slightly. Perhaps she wasn't a threat, but he should keep his guard up anyway, just as his brother always said.

He shrugged, before asking his own question: "Do you know Yugi Muto?"

"I do, he's a friend of my cousin. Why do you ask?"

For the first time, the boy broke into a smile, his grey eyes lightening with the sparkling reflection of orange firelight. "Yugi always gets mixed up in this sort of madness and I figured that he'd be here. I guess if you're a friend of his, you're a friend of me."

There was another long silence, filled only by the gentle hiss of leaves murmuring in the dark trees surrounding the clearing as they leaned closer to exchange secrets in hushed whispers. The fire danced merrily, joyfully licking the night air and occasionally leaping up to ensnare a passing moth in its deadly grasp.

"What's your name?"

Kyrana averted her gaze from the greedy flames then turned back to the raven-haired boy, mildly surprised by this unexpected breach of the prolonged silence.

"Kyrana." She answered finally, briefly touching her arms with the back of her right hand and glancing down at the bandages; invisible through the thick fabric of her top, before flicking back up to meet the kid's stern but inquisitive gaze. "Yours?"

"Mokuba…" The boy paused pensively before nodding to himself, confirming his decision to allow the pretty blonde girl a small amount of his trust, "I live in Domino by the way."

Kyrana's eyes widened slightly. She had not expected that. What were the chances of the boy coming from Domino too? Obviously it was more likely than she had previously thought.

Echoing the kid's smile with a faintly reassuring one of her own, Kyrana took a deep breath of the fresh, smoke infused air before responding.

"Pleased to meet you Mokuba," The young woman extended a hand formally in an attempt to treat the raven-haired boy with respect. Mokuba was unable to prevent a small giggle from escaping before he covered it over with a smirk and smoothly shook Kyrana's hand, with an unexpectedly firm grip that rivalled the girl's own. Although it was an unusual custom to shake hands in Japan, Mokuba had endured many a business meeting with his brother where he had learnt to hone his technique.

Breaking the handshake, a mutual respect glittering in both pairs of eyes, Kyrana continued: "I also live in Domino, and that brings me to our current…situation," she gestured vaguely at the surrounding landscape with a wave of her hand, "do you have the faintest idea of where we are, and how we managed to get here?"

"Er… that could be a long story." The boy said evasively, squirming where he sat and averting his uncomfortable gaze instead at the flames' writhing shapes. Kyrana watched him pensively as he carelessly ran a hand over his shining raven mane. Mokuba might only have been a child, but his furtive expression clearly stated that he knew far more than he was letting on.

"I have all the time in the world." Her tone was barely louder than a whisper, but it reached Mokuba all the same. The boy glanced up to meet Kyrana's softened eyes. Could he trust her? Or was it all a trap? She _seemed _real enough…

"Alright," Mokuba sighed wearily, "I'll tell you. You see, my brother had finally finished the Virtual –" He stopped abruptly, staring wide-eyed at Kyrana who had gently grabbed his arm, indicating for him to quiet with a finger over her lips. Silently, the blonde pointed towards the bushes to the right of the camp.

"I heard something move." She murmured softly, her green eyes fixed, like a cat's, upon the spot where she had heard the sound. "A twig snapped, right… there."

As if on cue, a tall, intimidating figure emerged from the said bushes and strode briskly into the clearing. The breeze rose as if to herald his arrival, causing the man's long purple trench coat to elegantly billow out behind him, flapping in the wind. He stood fearlessly, arms folded before him and dark chestnut-brown locks shading his eyes.

"Big brother!" Mokuba exclaimed gleefully, immediately leaping to his feet, a large grin plastering itself across his young face, "I knew you'd come for me!"  
The man swept around upon hearing the excited boy's voice, and a pair of sharp, ice-blue eyes scanned the two before him. The newcomer's face was handsome and angular and… Kyrana gulped, her eyes widening in disbelief as she realised why he looked so familiar.

"Seto! Over here!" Mokuba called joyously, forcing the man's penetrating gaze to instead fix on him.

There was no doubt about it. The man before her was Seto Kaiba: CEO of the major company Kaiba Corp, duelling prodigy and brother of Mokuba Kaiba. How could she not have seen it before? She had not even considered that the infamous duellist and business shark lived in the same city she had so recently moved to…

Finally tiring of calling his irresponsive brother, Mokuba dashed across the clearing like a small black hedgehog to pull the older Kaiba into an embrace, wrapping his short arms around his taller brother's waist. A smile began to form on Kyrana's lips at the sweet display of affection, but it faded rapidly as the older Kaiba brutally thrust a hand in Mokuba's face, knocking the uncomprehending boy to the ground.

Mokuba gazed up at his brother with wide, bewildered grey eyes. Why had his brother hit him? He never hit him. "Big brother…"

Kaiba glared down at his younger brother, in a manner stunningly similar to that of a machine. Kyrana watched in horror as the man turned his back on the boy, took several long strides to the opposite end of the clearing before sweeping around to face his brother. The Kaiba unfolded his arms, bringing one in front of his chest as if protecting himself from an invisible assailant, then allowed his cold blue eyes to fix on his wrist. Mokuba's mouth dropped open as suddenly, the air around the older Kaiba's wrist began to glow; sparkling particles of dust gathered together and formed a pulsating cloud before slowly binding around the man's arm. Within moments, Kaiba's arm was consumed by the silver dust, which slowly began to solidify, forming the unmistakable shape of a Duel Disk. Unfazed, Kaiba lifted his arm, narrowing his eyes at his younger brother before swiftly drawing five cards from the recently-appeared deck within his Duel Disk.

Realising the man's intentions as her gaze flicked back and forth between both brothers, Kyrana speedily jumped to her feet and rushed over to the stunned Mokuba. The boy was in shock, hardly capable of speaking due to his brother's hostile behaviour.

"Let's duel." Kaiba growled suddenly, causing Kyrana to sweep around, her eyes flashing at the cruel man's aggression towards his defenceless brother. Their eyes met, clear blue challenging passionate green.

Then, without warning, the man drew a card from his Deck, regardless of the fact neither Mokuba or Kyrana had any defence against him, and slapped it on the Duel Disk.

"I Summon La Jinn Mystical Genie Of The Lamp!" He declared. Immediately, a large green genie appeared in the clearing, towering threateningly over its two victims and emitting a dark chuckle. His arms were folded across his chest and his eyes were firmly shut, however, the image was still extremely intimidating. Kyrana's eyes widened, was Kaiba actually planning to attack his own brother?

"One card facedown. I end my turn."

"What have you done to my brother?" Kyrana glanced down and realised that Mokuba was now on his feet. The young boy's eyes blazed with anger mixed with sorrow and his voice shook slightly as he shouted at the older Kaiba.

The older youth continued to look at the ground, irresponsive. Kyrana had never met the CEO before, but she was sure that this was not normal behaviour – even for someone like him.

Suddenly, Mokuba lunged forward, preparing to tackle his brother and somehow get through to him. Predicting the young boy's action, Kyrana swiftly pulled him back to stand beside her and shook her head seriously.

"No Mokuba. He won't listen."

Mokuba glanced up at Kyrana, half angry with her for restraining him, and half comprehending the logic of what she had done. Forcing himself to hold back the tears threatening to sting his eyes, the boy sent another reproachful glance at his brother then turned back to Kyrana.

"…whoever he is, that's not my brother." He said finally. The young woman nodded in agreement and stepped forwards. Holding her left hand out in front of her, she gazed down at her arm, then cocked her head at Mokuba.

"I don't suppose you know how to make a Duel Disk appear?" After all, the boy was the brother of the a complete computer whizz, there was the slightest chance he might know. Mokuba nodded, she had definitely asked the right person.

"Just hold out your arm and it'll automatically appear. It was the first piece of programming my…" He paused, his clouded grey eyes passing over the strange man's familiar form, "brother made for his Virtual World."

Gazing down at the short boy, Kyrana felt a sudden pang of empathy and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll get him back." With that, the blonde turned back to face Kaiba and held her left arm straight out in front of her, watching in amazement as a Duel Disk magically appeared with swarm of glowing silver particles. Quickly, Kyrana reached in the pocket of her trousers, closing her fingers around the comforting shape of her Deck. Lifting the cards from her pocket, Kyrana swiftly slipped them into the Deck slot on her Duel Disk, then glanced up at her opponent. "It's my move."

"You can duel?" Mokuba asked disbelievingly, his eyes widening in admiration as Kyrana stepped forward to confront the 'not Kaiba'. From previous experience, he knew that the amount of male duellists vastly outnumbered the females, in addition to which, he had never known anyone apart from his brother to constantly carry their Deck with them. The blonde briefly glanced down at the raven-haired boy and sent him a shy smile.

"I can hold my own ground." With that, Kyrana quickly drew her hand and allowed a small smirk to cross her lips. Not bad. Duelling was her secret passion, and now considering she was playing the ex-champion Seto Kaiba – or someone who looked like him – this could prove to be an interesting challenge.

"Okay, Mr Kaiba… or whoever you are, first I activate my Spell card Cost Down," Kyrana fed a card from her hand into the Graveyard then continued, "Then I Summon White-Horned Dragon in Attack Mode," a ferocious, crimson dragon emerged onto the field, bearing its fearsomely sharp white teeth at La Jinn, "White-Horned Dragon, Attack with Flaming Breath!" Immediately the red dragon reared its head then quickly jerked forwards to release a stream of white hot fire from its mouth, causing La Jinn to cover its face defensively before shattering into countless pieces. Kaiba's Life Points diminished to 3600 as the flames consumed him and he was forced to the ground.

Straightening up, the tall man scowled at Kyrana and watched as she ended her turn with one facedown card. In a sharp gesture, the tall youth drew a card from his Deck, glanced down at his hand, then smirked.

"I Summon Vorse Raider in Defence Mode and play two cards facedown. I end my turn."

Kyrana frowned. This surely was not the same Seto Kaiba she had seen countless times on television, the same Seto Kaiba who had won countless duels and ranted continuously throughout the entire battle. The young woman drew a card from her Deck, briefly glancing at Mokuba as she did so. The boy was watching his brother with narrow-eyed suspicion, his face deep in thought and his grey eyes sparkling intelligently.

"Very well, I'll draw." Kyrana announced. Looking at the four cards in her hand she bit her lip. She had watched Kaiba's duelling techniques before, and she was pretty sure she knew what he was planning. "I'll Summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in Attack Mode, then I'll activate his Special Ability to destroy one Spell or Trap on the Field, and I choose the facedown card on the left." She pointed, now was the moment of truth, this could very easily backfire on her. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief as the chosen card flipped face-up – Crush Card Virus – and was destroyed by one slice of Breaker the Magical Warrior's sword.

"Hmph."

"My Breaker's Attack is reduced by 300 points, but it's a price well worth paying. Now my warrior, attack his Vorse Raider with Blade Slice!" She commanded and watched proudly as the warrior leapt forward. Her eyes widened, the youth had activated the second facedown card on his field.

"I activate my Shrink card, cutting your monster's attack by half."

Vorse Raider suddenly lifted its blade to block Breaker the Magical Warrior's attack before pushing it backwards to Kyrana's side of the field, lowering her Life Points to 3600, equalling her opponent's.

"You might have blocked that attack, but you won't block this one – White-Horned Dragon, attack his monster now!" The dragon easily swooped into the air before dive-bombing Vorse Raider with fire pouring from its mouth. Kyrana watched as the flames enveloped her opponent's beast, before shattering the hologram. "Finally, I activate my Spell card, Gold Sarcophagus which allows me to remove choose a card in my Deck to remove from play for two turns, after which, I can add it to my hand."

The young woman swiftly chose her card then removed it from the game. "That's the end of my turn."

Mokuba observed the duel, wide-eyed. This man – whoever he was – used the same techniques and combos as his brother. He was amazed that Kyrana had survived so long against such a powerful duellist, but he supposed it was still early in the match.

"My turn." The youth growled, pulling a card from his Deck before slapping it down on the Duel Disk. "I play Kaiser Sea Horse, now attack Breaker the Magical Warrior with Trident Blast!" Immediately, the monster sprang forwards and launched its trident towards Breaker, impaling it before the Magical Warrior disappeared in a burst of colour and reduced Kyrana's Life Points to 3500. The youth slid one card facedown into his Duel Disk, then announced: "Your turn."

"Good." She quickly pulled a card from her Deck and smiled upon recognising one of her favourite cards. "Magician's Valkyria, in Attack Mode." The female Magician spun onto the field and did one last twirl before winking at Kaiba and taking her place on Kyrana's side of the field. "Now I have two monsters on the field, whereas you only have one, leaving you exposed to my attack. White-Horned Dragon, take down his Kaiser Sea Horse!" The dragon obediently launched itself into action, moving to close its large jaws around the defenceless sea warrior, only to find itself repelled by the youth's Trap.

"Activate Negate Attack; your Battle Phase is over." Feeding the card into his Graveyard, the young man smirked mechanically then watched Kyrana set her own card facedown before indicating the end of her turn.

Speedily, Kyrana's opponent drew a card from his Deck and added it to his hand. Lifting his cold blue eyes to meet the girl's own, he began to chuckle, his voice deep and sinister. "Finally. I activate Kaiser Sea Horse's effect and sacrifice him to Summon the ultimate beast." Kyrana gulped, she had foolishly forgotten Kaiser Seahorse's ability to count as two tributes for any light monster… and now it was too late. "Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Kyrana's head jerked up upon hearing thunder rumble in the sky above, accompanied by a flash of stunning white lighting. No, not lightning, but a shining dragon hurtling towards the ground, pulling out of its dive and elegantly spreading its magnificent silver wings as if landed on the ground in front of her opponent. Mokuba gasped aloud. The appearance of Blue-Eyes had finally triggered his memory which explained the true identity of the man duelling Kyrana… how could he have not seen it before?

"Blue-Eyes attack with Blue-Eyes White Lightning and annihilate her Magician!" The man commanded savagely, flinging his arm out to point directly at Magician's Valkyria. Slowly, the almighty dragon reared back his head, and just as a crackling ball of blue energy began to form between its jaws, Kyrana activated her facedown card.

"Reveal, Windstorm Of Etaqua. Your dragon's attack will just have to wait." The young woman watched, her eyes glittering triumphantly as all monsters on the field hunched into defence mode, safe from any attack. Growling, the man set another two cards facedown and ended his turn.

"This is where things start to get interesting." Kyrana murmured. "First, two turns are up, so I can add the card from my Gold Sarcophagus to my hand – like so. Unfortunately for you, this was what I was planning from the start. I sacrifice both my White-Horned Dragon and Magician's Valkyria to Summon one of my favourite creatures…" Moving the card which had previously been removed from play to her hand, Kyrana lifted it into the air before slapping it onto her Duel Disk. "Meet Magician's Dragon!" A brilliant purple light began to radiate from Kyrana's Duel Disk, pulsating as the holographic storm slowly cleared to reveal a towering, violet dragon. The creature raised its head proudly, allowing a deafening roar to escape its maw as it challenged the rivalling Blue-Eyes. The dragon's scales glittered mysteriously in the firelight, while the flowing mane of soft mauve pelt trailing down the length of its lithe body, fluttered wildly in the sudden breeze. A large purple stone adorning the creature's chest was revealed as it gracefully arched its long violet wings above its head. Finally, the dragon opened its dark, swirling eyes which had no distinguishable colour under the light from the flickering flames.

Allowing a small smile of victory to cross her face, Kyrana cleared her throat. "Go, my dragon, destroy Blue-Eyes with Magical Flame attack!" Dipping its head to meet the white dragon's piercing blue eyes, Magician's Dragon barely gave a moment of warning before releasing its attack.

"I reveal my facedown card. Ring of Destruction which destroys your dragon." Kyrana's eyes widened in horror as she watched the ring fly across the field like a Frisbee before firmly collaring her Magician's Dragon and detonating, causing the hologram to disperse into tiny pieces. She lifted an arm to protect herself as the blast from the explosion rolled over her, violently knocking her to the ground. It was almost… painful. Yet this was only a game with holograms…wasn't it?

Kyrana groaned, lifting her head from the dirt to watch the smoke clearing before her. The man still stood, motionless and unaffected by the blast as a strange green shield spun in front of him, protecting him from the explosion. "Thanks to Ring of Defence, I receive no damage." He stated, blankly observing the girl's unmoving form as she remained flat on the ground, unable to rise. Kyrana gasped, struggling to muster the energy to stand and allowed her gaze to fall on her dropping Life Points: 600. Shutting her eyes, the blonde felt the despair of defeat flood her body. She only had 600 Life Points remaining, and it was her opponent's turn. With a final sigh of despair, the fatigued Kyrana trembled once more, before her head fell forwards to greet the dirt.

* * *

**_To be continued..._**

**_Next time we find out what Yugi and the gang are up to, and what the deal is with 'Seto Kaiba'. Keep reading, and keep reviewing. Thanks._**

**_~ FreeXFallXPhoenix  
_**


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